Detecting and correcting vibration in heat exchangers

Abstract

A plant or refinery may include equipment such as reactors, heaters, heat exchangers, regenerators, separators, or the like. Types of heat exchangers include shell and tube, plate, plate and shell, plate fin, air cooled, wetted-surface air cooled, or the like. Operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, prolong equipment life, extend production operating time, or provide other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment, and sensor data may be programmatically analyzed to identify developing problems. For example, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to detect and correct maldistribution, cross-leakage, strain, pre-leakage, thermal stresses, fouling, vibration, problems in liquid lifting, conditions that can affect air-cooled exchangers, conditions that can affect a wetted-surface air-cooled heat exchanger, or the like. An operating condition or mode may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 a heat exchanger; 
 one or more sensors associated with the heat exchanger; 
 a data analysis platform, comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 memory storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 receive sensor data comprising operation information associated with the heat exchanger; 
 analyze the sensor data to determine whether vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger; 
 after determining that the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, determine a recommended adjustment to an operating condition of the heat exchanger to reduce the vibration occurring within the heat exchanger; and 
 send a command configured to cause the recommended adjustment to the operating condition of the heat exchanger to reduce the vibration occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, send a command to reduce a flow rate associated with the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, send a command to adjust a flow parameter of a flow associated with the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, send a command to adjust a pressure of the flow associated with the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, send a command to adjust a temperature of the flow associated with the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, send a command to adjust a vapor fraction of the flow associated with the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a vibration sensor, 
 wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 receive vibration data collected by the vibration sensor; and 
 analyze the vibration data collected by the vibration sensor to determine whether the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a flow sensor, 
 wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 receive flow data collected by the flow sensor; and 
 analyze the flow data collected by the flow sensor to determine whether the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a pressure sensor, 
 wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 receive pressure data collected by the pressure sensor; and 
 analyze the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor to determine, based on a pressure drop across the heat exchanger, whether the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 compare the sensor data comprising the operation information associated with the heat exchanger to past sensor data associated with the heat exchanger to determine whether there is a deviation greater than a threshold deviation between the sensor data and the past sensor data. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 compare the sensor data comprising the operation information associated with the heat exchanger to different sensor data associated with a different heat exchanger of a same type as the heat exchanger to determine whether there is a deviation greater than a threshold deviation between the sensor data and the different sensor data. 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 correlate the sensor data comprising the operation information associated with the heat exchanger with weather data corresponding to weather at a geographic location of the heat exchanger and a time that the sensor data was collected; and 
 determine, based on correlating the sensor data with the weather data, whether the weather at the geographic location of the heat exchanger caused the vibration occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, trigger an alarm. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions, when executed, cause the data analysis platform to:
 cause display of the recommended adjustment to the operating condition of the heat exchanger on a graphical user interface of a computing device. 
 
     
     
       15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
 receive sensor data comprising operation information associated with a heat exchanger; 
 analyze the sensor data to determine whether vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger; and 
 after determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, determine a recommended adjustment to an operating condition of the heat exchanger to reduce the vibration occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:
 receive first sensor data comprising first flow data measured by a first flow sensor associated with a first passage along a flow length associated with the heat exchanger, the first flow data associated with the first passage along the flow length associated with the heat exchanger; 
 receive second sensor data comprising second flow data measured by a second flow sensor associated with a second passage along the flow length associated with the heat exchanger, the second flow data associated with the second passage along the flow length associated with the heat exchanger; 
 determine whether a difference between the first flow data associated with the first passage and the second flow data associated with the second passage is greater than a threshold; and 
 based on determining that the difference between the first flow data associated with the first passage and the second flow data associated with the second passage is greater than the threshold, determine that the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the system to:
 receive vibration data collected by a vibration sensor associated with the heat exchanger; and 
 analyze the vibration data collected by the vibration sensor to determine whether the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       18. A method comprising:
 receiving, by a data analysis computing device, sensor data comprising operation information associated with a heat exchanger; 
 analyzing, by the data analysis computing device, the sensor data to determine whether vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger; and 
 after determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, determining, by the data analysis computing device, a recommended adjustment to an operating condition of the heat exchanger to reduce the vibration occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , comprising:
 receiving, by the data analysis computing device, vibration data collected by a vibration sensor associated with the heat exchanger; and 
 analyzing, by the data analysis computing device, the vibration data collected by the vibration sensor to determine whether the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , comprising:
 responsive to determining the vibration is occurring within the heat exchanger, sending, by the data analysis computing device, a command to adjust a flow parameter of a flow associated with the heat exchanger.